Cold Hearts
by disappointing-ones
Summary: Jack x Elsa. Bit of Pitch Black as the bad guy. Takes Place in a bit of a crossover between their two worlds on a timeline roughly similar to Frozen's. Jack feels inexplicably drawn to this baby girl but he can only visit her once a year on her birthday. What happens when she stops believing in him? What happens when they meet again eleven years later? M just in case but a light M.
1. Chapter 1

I doodled curled fractals with my staff as I paced down the northern edge of the pond. Winter was just arriving here. I tested the water but my toe did not break the mirrored surface, the water froze beneath it. I rested the rest on my foot down and the ice crawled along the shore not quite reaching the middle. It was too warm for that. I'd had my powers a long time now, at least it felt that way, but I couldn't help the sparks of joy that flickered inside me when I used them. I wasn't sure why I'd decided to come here, it was like I was forgetting something but my body had a memory of it. Then I felt it, the wind wanted to take me somewhere. At least, I thought it was the wind.

I travelled north for a time until I found myself in the shadow of a resplendent castle. The gates were wide open and people were celebrating in the streets. I flew through the courtyard lightly frosting the windows of the castle before the afternoon sun of early spring touched them. I stopped to play with some children, creating thin ice for them to snap beneath their feet but my eyes were drawn back to the castle. Normally I stayed away from big buildings, I preferred the outdoors.

Finally, I allowed the wind, and my own curiosity, to take me upwards, to the windows high above me. In each window I was afforded a brief glance before they clouded with frost. It became a game, a sort of hide and seek, until I reached the west tower. I didn't realize what I had been looking for until I saw her. I stopped the creeping frost in its tracks and peered into the room. A soft light came from the candle beside the crib, it was the only light in the room aside from the light of the setting sun.

In front of me sat a man in a rocking chair, fast asleep, snoring lightly. In his arms rested a baby no more than a couple hours old. Her eyes were wide open and I got the sense that she could see me. I felt warm inside, I hadn't felt warm in a long time. Her father stirred and I flew away, far away.

_Who was that?_

I mentally shook myself. I wanted to go back but I didn't. I paced back and forth on a black tree branch, considering the girl. Her eyes were familiar, yet strange. Just as I'd resolved to go back and see her once more the man in the moon spoke to me.

He didn't really speak, I simply understood with absolute certainty: I may go to her once a year, on her birthday. I have one hour. If she stops believing in me, I cannot go to her again.

It repeated inside my head as I paced away the rest of the year. I laughed, and played but she lingered in the back of my mind. Frustratingly unattainable.


	2. Chapter 2

I flicked the hat off a young man trying to impress a waitress. I was annoyed. I'd spent one year thinking about her and I didn't know why. I didn't know anything about her. Why couldn't I see her whenever I wanted?

_Why do I care about seeing her whenever I want?_

I didn't understand why I couldn't stay away from her. I obeyed the rules laid out by the man in the moon but I didn't understand those rules. I never understood his rules though. It was frustrating. I was frustrated when I realized it was her birthday and I was frustrated when I realized I actually wanted to see her again.

It took me no time at all to get to her palace. Oddly, I happened to be in the village a few couple miles south of it but when I came to her window and found my anger melting away. It was replaced by curiosity. I saw her playing on the floor. She had some blocks that she was trying to stack. She kept looking back over her shoulder, like she knew I was watching but she didn't crawl to me. Her mother was asleep in the armchair. I watched her stack the blocks until they toppled over then she'd start again.

She looked over her shoulder and smiled at me. It was surprisingly disarming. Then she became engrossed by the blocks in front of her. The questions that had bothered me an entire year melted into my subconscious. No longer nagging.

When her mother awoke I felt the wind begin to tug. Her mother scooped her up and carried her to the door.

"My," Her mother said, glancing at the grandfather clock. "It's nearly time for your birthday party." The little girl reached out a hand to me. I waved goodbye and she rested her head on her mothers' shoulder, her big blue eyes followed me as I drifted away from her window.

_I'll come back next year, I promise._


	3. Chapter 3

I wasn't trying to fight the urge to see her anymore. I had resigned to the fact that I wouldn't be able to resist her but it nagged at me that one day she might stop believing in me. One day she might look out the window and see nothing, but it wasn't today.

I found her in her room once again. Some frost danced at the edges of her window. That's how she knew I was there. She climbed up onto the window sill, it wasn't very high, and waved at me. I smiled, and so did she.

She got distracted and began to wipe away some stray frost. I allowed the more frost to creep onto the window. She wiped it away and smiled at me. I made the frost grow again, obscuring my face. She wiped it off again and laughed when she saw me. We did this a couple more times. Her laughter made me feel warm.

"What's your name?" I asked her, tentatively. I didn't know if she could talk yet. She looked at me with those ice blue eyes, maybe she didn't understand. "My name is Jack. What's your name?"

"Jack." She said. Then she giggled. I giggled too.

_That was embarrassing._

"Jack. That's me. What's your name?" I asked her as I smiled like an idiot.

"Elsa," her mother called from behind the door. "Where are you?" Elsa turned to the door.

"Mumumum." She whispered.

"So, your name is Elsa." I said. "I'll see you next year Elsa, Goodbye." I drifted away from the window and the frost began to clear.

I couldn't stay. Her mother was going to cut our visit very short. I wanted to be angry but it was tough when her smile reached her big blue eyes. She pressed her hands against the window, and watched me go.

"Jack." I heard her say before I allowed the wind to take me.

"Elsa." I whispered. The pleasant warmth that accompanied her laughter didn't seem so far away when I said it.

As the wind carried me away from her I grew frustrated. I stopped in a village much farther south. I wandered down bare cobblestone. Frost didn't grow beneath my feet. It was too warm. Not uncomfortably warm for me though. I caught my reflection in a window pane, the afternoon sun generated a portrait of someone almost familiar. My reflection always looked strange to me.

_Maybe it's the hair. _

The corner of my mouth curved at my own humor. My hair was thick and whitish grey, of course it looked strange. My face showed no signs of having aged since I last examined it.

Even my eyes looked off, the light blue seemed almost crystalline on close examination. I tried to cloud the glass with frost but it only stayed on the upper half, the area shaded by the overhang. Only my lips and jaw very visible now.

I cracked a smile again.

_That looked familiar._

I flew off again. If I was going to make it through the year I'd need some entertainment.


	4. Chapter 4

_Would she remember me?_

I was almost there, my fourth visit. Other children just weren't like her, I was nervous. I wanted to visit her more often but as I drifted up towards her window, I began wringing my staff in my hands.

She was playing quietly in her room. At first, she didn't see me. She held her hand over a small toy horse and there were snowflakes raining down from her hand.

"Elsa?" I whispered, I was unbelievably confused.

_How did she do that?_

"Jack." She whispered. She turned around and smiled so wide her eyes lit up. She ran to the window scaling the sill easily now, she was taller and significantly more articulate.

"Hello," she said, bashfully.

"Hello, Elsa." I laughed. Her sweet smile and beautiful eyes were disarming. "Can you show me how you make snow?" I asked, confusion still weighing on my elation.

She ran back to where the toy horse lay motionless. She picked it up and placed it beside her on the sill. Kneeling in front of it she put her hand over it and small flakes gently began to fall. They settled on the horses back.

"Just like you." She said, looking up at me. The snow stopped falling from her tiny fingers. She played with the horse making it ride on the air from side to side.

"How'd you learn how to do that?" I asked tentatively.

"I just knew." She said. "Can you make snow too?"

I laughed and cupped my hands. A small snowflake grew into a large snowball. Then I turned around and threw it. She laughed.

"Come in," She bade. "Come play."

"I can't," I said sadly. I knew she wouldn't be able to reach the latch, let alone undo it.

I frosted the bottom of the window. She wiped away a section and caught a glimpse of my face before I moved. She wiped away another section and I moved again before she could see me. She wiped more frost a little to her left and this time I stayed. She laughed when she found me.

I laughed too. None of it made any sense. Her laughter receded to a smile, then her eyes grew sad as she wiped the frost away in the panes around my face.

"Mum and dad say it's bad. Can you help?" She confessed. She touched the glass where my hand rested. Some ice spread from her fingers. I curled my fingertips gently, it hurt to speak.

"I… can't." I whispered back. I wanted to help her so badly. My own smile seemed to collapse.

"Why?" She said. There was still sadness in her eyes. "Anna likes it."

"Who's Anna?" I replied.

"My sister. She's just a baby." Elsa answered, smiling again. "It makes her laugh. Could you visit on her birthday too?"

"Elsa, you can come out of your room now. Your time out is over." Said a deep voice just on the other side of the door.

"I'm sorry… I can't… I'll explain when you're older. I have to go now." I excused myself. Her sadness was weighing on my conscience and her father was turning the door knob.

"Bye, Jack." She said, touching the window.

"Goodbye, Elsa." I whispered, feeling the warmth fade from my heart as the wind pushed me away from her.


	5. Chapter 5

On her fourth birthday I found her alone in her room again. I saw her drawing in the frost at the bottom corner of the window. She scribbled something then wiped it away. When I got to her window she was trying the same scribbles in the centre of the window. At first I didn't understand what she was drawing but it dawned on me when I saw the final shape, a backwards 'K.'

_She wrote my name._

This realization exhilarated me. I did a flip in the air and carefully wrote back to her. I drew her name backwards in the window. I heard her gasp then wipe away the frost. Revealing her smiling face, she had grown a lot. Her long white blonde hair was braided down her back and her ice blue eyes warmed me.

"Jack." She said, carefully unclasping the latch on the window.

"No, Elsa. Be careful." I said. I couldn't help it. She still seemed so small.

_When did she get so clever?_

"s'okay, Jack. I've done this before. Let's go play in the snow." She opened the window and swung her feet outside. Her arms coiled getting ready to jump.

"No! Elsa!" My body bolted forward, I scooped her up in my arms and placed her inside her room. She had tears in her eyes when I pulled her back from my chest. I kneeled on the soft carpet to let her down but she wouldn't let go.

"I'm sorry, Elsa. Did I scare you? Don't cry." I said softly.

"Jack. Mum and dad hate me. I can't control it and they get mad and scared." She sobbed into my chest. "They think I'll hurt Anna." Then her words were lost in my chest again. "I don't want to be scary," She sniffed. "Please, can you tell them I'll grow up like you? Then they'll know its ok and they don't have to be scared of me." Fat tears settled into my shoulder.

"Elsa," I whispered into her soft hair, I could think of nothing to say except for the hard truth, "they can't see me." I held her tightly and rubbed her back.

"Why?" She hiccoughed.

"Because they don't believe in me." I told her, looking into her blue eyes. They were beautiful. A silvery blue I could almost see my reflection in due to the wetness gathering there.

"Why?" she started to say but it became a small sob.

"Don't be afraid. I think you're wonderful." I said, gently, as I rubbed her small back. "I bet you can make beautiful things."

She pulled away, "Really?"

"Of course." I smiled and she smiled back through her tears.

"Watch this." She said and she made a small snowball in her hands. It glowed faintly then she threw it up to the ceiling. It burst and snow began to fall in the whole room. Her powers were growing stronger.

I called the wind through the open window. I made the snow swirl around us. Brushing our faces and tickling her nose. She laughed as her tears dried on her cheeks. I laughed too.

"I'll always believe in you, Jack." She said smiling at the snowflakes swirling around her head.

"And I'll always believe in you." I said feeling warm and happy. I laughed a little.

Suddenly there was a knock on her door.

"Elsa!" someone called through the door.

I jumped back on the wind. I waited on the sill while Elsa ran to the window.

"I've got to go now, Elsa. Promise me you won't jump out of this window anymore." I said, kneeling to look her in the eye.

"Promise." She whispered. "Goodbye Jack." She looked like she would cry again.

"Happy Birthday." I said, hoping to cheer her up before I flew off.

She closed the window and messily wrote: "Com Back Sun."

Her tears felt extra cold on my shoulder. The wind was whipping at me. Pushing me away


	6. Chapter 6

Her window was wide open on her fifth birthday, like she was inviting me in. As I approached I heard her counting. She was lying on her bed. She had made a snow ball, and was throwing it in the air and catching it again.

"28, 29, 20." She said with a sigh. "21."

I made a snowball of my own and knocked hers out of the air. A look of confusion crossed her adorable features. Then she turned her head and saw me seated on her window sill.

"Jack!" She gasped as she got out of bed. She ran to me and threw her arms around my neck. She was getting bigger but her body was still dwarfed in my embrace. "I missed you." She whispered.

The warmth I'd been craving crept back into my heart and spread out to my fingers and toes.

"Hello, Elsa." I said, her warmth brought my favourite kind of smile. One that could only be found when I was with her.

"Can we play outside today?" She asked quietly. As if I was easily scared off. "I'm older now."

"Where are your mom and dad?" I asked.

"They're downstairs. I'm in trouble so we have one hour before they come check on me." She said proudly.

"Why're you in trouble?" I asked, sceptically.

"I made snow for Anna." She said innocently. "There's no making snow." She said gruffly, imitating her father. "So I came up here to wait for you."

"Did you get in trouble on purpose so we could play outside?" I asked her, I was astonished by how clever she was.

"Maybe. Do you wanna build a snowman?" She asked.

"I have a better idea. Have you ever been skating?" I asked her.

"No, mum and dad don't play outside with me much." She said, shyly.

I scooped her up onto my back and let the wind carry us out the window. Her small arms wrapped around my neck as we flew to a small lake in the mountains behind the castle.

I grabbed some skates that were hanging from a peg on an old cabin. The villagers who used it had six or seven kids, they had skates of all sizes. They only came out to the cabin every once in a while, hopefully the little girl these skates belonged to wouldn't need them today.

Elsa giggled as the wind blew some of her hair out of her tight braid. I let her down by the lake.

"That was so much fun! Do you fly all the time?" She asked, excitedly.

"Yeah, I do. I have a lot of kids to play with." I said and I winked at her. She giggled then became very serious.

"Do you visit all the kids on their birthday?" She asked. She seemed offended.

"Oh," I was surprised.

_I guess she doesn't know how special she is. _

"No," I replied, laughing. I began to lace up her skates. "Just you." I smiled at her and looked into her eyes. They lit up when I said it.

"Good." She said, smirking slightly. "Ouch, that's tight." She winced.

It hurt to see her wince even a little.

"I'm sorry" I said gently. "They have to be tight." I smiled at her again. "Besides we'll be having so much fun you won't even notice." With that I tied off her other skate. I pulled her to her feet on the lakes edge.

"I'm going to make sure the ice is nice and thick. Ok?" I told her. Luckily, she couldn't go far in the skates.

"I can help." She said attempting to follow me. She nearly fell over but I steadied her.

"No. You stay here. We don't have much time so I'll just do it quickly. I can't wait to teach you how to skate." I said hoping I'd reassure her enough to allow me to slip away.

"Ok." She said a little disappointed. I let the wind carry me across the ice as I fortified the weaker points. I was back in a couple minutes. Elsa let me pick her up and place her on the smooth fresh ice. She wobbled but I held her hands, guiding her.

She looked down at my bare feet and I watched her skates. Our eyes met and we shared a smile but her eyes were drawn back to the slippery surface beneath her feet.

"Aren't your feet cold?" She asked.

"The cold doesn't really bother me." I replied, smiling.

"Me neither." She said smiling up at me. Then she slipped and fell hard on her backside. I kneeled down beside her immediately.

"Are you alright?" I asked as I checked for injuries.

_Maybe skating wasn't such a good idea._

She nodded and started to get back up. I tried to help her but she waved my hand away.

"I can do it." She said. She began to skate in small circles. Once she felt she had the hang of it she reached her hand out to me again. I smiled and took it.

We raced across the ice. She won most of the time. The wind was on her side. I didn't stop smiling for a full hour and I felt warmer than I had in years.

"Elsa, we have to go back now." I said dreading saying goodbye. The wind was pulling though and I was scared it'd pull me away with her on my back.

"But… Jack. I want to play with you forever. Why do you have to go?" I pulled her down in front of me and started unlacing her skates.

"We have to return these skates to the little girl we loaned them from." I replied.

_"_But after that we can keep playing?" she asked hopefully.

"No, Elsa. You have to get back to your family." I said. I hated being responsible, it wasn't my thing at all.

"But Jack…" She said trailing off. She was a smart girl. She knew we couldn't play forever.

"Hold on tight." I said as I pulled her onto my back. As I approached the castle the wind carried her parents' frantic voices to my ears.

"Elsa! Where are you? Elsa!"

I took her straight to her room. "We stayed too long. You're parents are worried about you now. Happy Birthday." I said placing her on the soft carpet in her bedroom. She followed me to the window to close it after I left.

"I had the best day ever." I said. It truly had been one of the best in a long time. The warmth was fading but I wasn't ready to let it go yet. "Goodbye Elsa." I said and left.

"Jack!" she called after me out the window. The wind swirled her voice around my ears before carrying it away, away from her, where I needed to be.


	7. Chapter 7

Her window was closed when I arrived on her sixth birthday. It was so frosted up that I couldn't see through it. She had written my name messily on the window again. She had tried to do it backwards but it didn't work all that well. I wrote Elsa backwards in response and I was rewarded with the click of the latch opening the window just a crack.

"Close your eyes and come in." she said, excitedly. I pushed the window inwards and closed my eyes tight, obeying her wishes. Her small hand found mine and she pulled me in.

I stumbled a bit on the slippery floor but she steadied me. She led me to the middle of the room.

"Open your eyes," she whispered. I was amazed by what I saw. The floor was covered in a sheet of smooth ice. Little snowflakes drifted down from the ceiling and piled up in the corners. Her bed was moved out of the way and her bedroom had become an ice rink. First she hugged me around the waist, then she pulled me around in a circle. She was showing me how she could skate.

"This is amazing, Elsa." I couldn't believe what this girl could do. I couldn't remember my childhood but I couldn't have been able to do this. I lifted her up and spun her around like a figure skater. She laughed as I brought her back down onto the ice and I couldn't contain my own smile. We skated together like dancers.

"You've been practicing a lot." I said, truly surprised at how much she had improved in one year.

"Mum and dad don't let me outside the castle much. They don't want anyone to know about this. They go away a lot too and Anna's too little to play with so I practised skating." She said.

We danced and played until the inevitable knock came.

"Elsa! Dinner!" Came a shrill voice.

"Coming." She called back. I knelt down on one knee and kissed the back of her tiny hand.

"Wonderful dance m' lady." I said, in my most pompous imitation of a gentleman. She curtsied in her little blue dress.

"Simply lovely." She said in her most distinguished voice. We both laughed.

"I'll miss you Jack. When will you tell me why you can't stay with me?" She pleaded. I wanted to stay with her. I wanted to come back every day and see her smile. I didn't want the pain of being away from her to come.

Alas, she couldn't spend her whole life with an imaginary friend. A friend no one but her could see. And what would happen when I disappeared before her eyes?

"One day you'll know why I can't stay all the time." I replied resigned to the goodbye.

"Bye, Elsa." I said. I tried to sound cheery but it came out flat. "Happy Birthday."

"Wait." She said. "Here," she handed me a white string with a snowflake hanging from it. "It's made of ice so… keep it cold." She said giggling. I laughed too.

"No problem." I smiled and let the wind take me out the window. She locked it behind me. The bracelet was made of ice yet it kept me warm inside.


	8. Chapter 8

I fingered the snowflake hanging from my wrist. Her seventh birthday. I was excited and nervous. Somehow every year I convinced myself she had stopped believing and I would become invisible. Sometimes that fear was so crippling I'd need to sit down for a bit.

One time, I woke up from a dream that I'd stopped at her window and all she'd seen was the sky behind me. Then the sky turned black and I was drowning.

_But I was always drowning._

That pull hadn't subsided if anything it had intensified. I needed to see her. I needed to feel warm again.

"Jack!" The wind carried her yell to me from down below. She was expecting me. She was playing in the light spring snow in the palace gardens. As I got closer I realized there was someone with her. A girl with orange blonde hair and a bubbly laugh. I landed a ways away, assessing the new girl. Normally, I was quick to play with children but I was here to see Elsa. It was like I was a whole different person when it came to her.

"Jack!" she yelled again. "Jack, this is Anna" Elsa grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the young girl.

"Anna, this is Jack. I told you about him. He's just like me. He's magic." She seemed very proud of me yet she was willing to share her only day with me with her sister.

I cracked a smile and got down on one knee so I could look Anna in the eye. She was a couple years younger than Elsa. Her eyes were darker than Elsa's icy blue and she seemed a little clumsier than her sister.

She was more carefree than Elsa was at that age. At that age Elsa was worried about hiding her magic and about hurting others with it. Anna didn't seem to have a care in the world.

I began making a stairway out of snow and a bit of ice. Elsa met me at the top of it with a smooth slide. Anna climbed to the top and slid down into a puff of powder. Elsa followed her.

Watching the girls play made their differences obvious. When waiting Anna fidgeted while Elsa stood still. Anna flopped down into the snow and waved her arms and legs haphazardly forming a snow angel while Elsa made a short pony that looked surprisingly good. Elsa held Anna tightly and they jumped on their mount, I pushed it around with the wind. We all laughed until our stomachs were sore.

I was making a little doll for Anna when I was hit by a snowball, in the back of the head. I turned around and met Elsa's intense blue stare accompanied by a small smirk. I threw a snowball back at her and she started laughing harder.

"Didn't know I could do that did you?" I said, smiling at her.

She threw two back but missed because she was laughing too hard. It turned into a full on snowball fight, me and Anna versus Elsa.

The laughter subsided when the princesses were called back inside.

"Coming!" Elsa called back. I couldn't tell if the tear rolling down her soft cheek was from laughter or sadness. Anna ran off leaving Elsa and I to say our goodbyes.

"Why can't you stay and play all the time?" She asked.

"Because…" I replied, saddened by our imminent parting. "I'll see you next year though."

"Goodbye Jack." She threw her arms around my waist.

"Goodbye Elsa." I hugged her back, tightly.

The wind carried me up and away from her. She watched me go.


	9. Chapter 9

On her eighth birthday, I noticed something different about the castle. I couldn't put my finger on what it was though. As I approached her window the view was partially obscured by a natural frost.

"Happy Birthday, Elsa." Said a deep gentle voice. "They'll help you control it. Remember:" She pulled on some white gloves.

"Conceal it, don't feel it." They said in unison.

"I've got to check on your sister. You'll be alright here?" said her father.

"Yes." She said politely.

"That's my girl." He said gently closing the door behind him.

She walked towards the window then she looked up. I smiled.

She didn't. I was confused.

"Elsa?" I said, completely lost.

_Doesn't she see me?_

_No._

"No!" I yelled to no one in particular. She couldn't hear me. I tried desperately to write her name but I only made more frost. "Elsa!" I couldn't help it.

_Why am I still trying?_

She sat down on the floor and stared out the window. She was looking right at me but she didn't see me. I moved back from the window.

The cold bit at my heart like I imagined it bit noses and ears. It was a more driving pain though, as if it wanted to reach the core and shatter things from there.

"I knew you wouldn't come. It's because you're not real." she said coolly, calmly. Like it was simply a fact. I couldn't breathe.

_What happened? _

I drifted backwards, away from her cold tone. Then I heard the sound of her fathers' voice at another window, I followed it. He was speaking to a woman, Elsa's mother.

"How is Anna?" Her father asked.

"Anna is getting better. But what are we going to do about Elsa? Her powers are getting stronger. She nearly killed Anna. The people will be afraid of her when she is queen." Her mother was desperate for a solution.

"She just needs to learn to control it." Said her father. And they parted to attend to different duties. Her mother went back to Anna's room and the King walked deeper into the castle.

I went back to Elsa's room. Frost still flickered around her hands as she shook. She wasn't crying, just shaking. I put my hand against the glass.

"Why Elsa?" I whispered. I tasted salt on my lips, I was crying. The wind was tugging at my arms. "Leave me alone!" I yelled to no one in particular. "Elsa, believe in me." I whispered. "Please." Then the wind carried me away. I tried to fight but I was so tired and so… cold.


	10. Chapter 10

I convinced myself I didn't want to go to her. It was easier than accepting that I may never be warm again. Every day I allowed her to break me a little more until my heart was broken and spiteful. Her bracelet didn't warm me anymore but I didn't take it off. I kept it as a reminder of who I hated, at least that's what I told myself.

On the night before her eighteenth birthday I found myself in the mountains near her home. It was odd because normally the wind wouldn't let me near her. The man in the moon spoke to me for a second time in almost twenty years.

"Man, you're quite the chatterbox. Aren't you?" I said for my own benefit. He told me it was over.

"Whats over?" I said not expecting a reply.

It took me a while to realize that I had gotten closer to her home than I had in ten years. I was trying not to think about it.

_I… I don't want to go to her. I can't_.

I let the wind carry me gently through the mountains. I'd nearly circumvented her castle when I saw it, a second castle, made completely of ice.

I landed before the grand staircase leading up to it. I took a moment to marvel at the craftsmanship. The frozen staircase lead to doors of thick ice. I moved up it slowly the smooth coldness of the railing took my mind off the decision on whether I should go to her or not.

_ It's like it was built for me._

I eased open the large doors. It looked abandoned so I explored a bit. I came upon a large throne room with twin staircases climbing up the walls and meeting at a landing in the middle. Like a centerpiece a single throne sat between them.

I sat down in the thrown, swirly fractals graced the arms.

"Quite a kingdom I've got here." I smirked at the empty room, the desolate landscape surrounding the palace peeked through one of two grand windows. Then it occurred to me, "The invisible king and his subjects." I forced a laugh but it faded very quickly.

_Time to continue exploring._

I climbed the clear steps to my left up to the landing. There, I found French doors leading to a balcony and a small staircase that doubled back. It was just a couple steps leading to another door.

I opened the door and found a smallish bedroom. It was obviously the master bedroom but it wasn't as lavish as the rest of the castle. It was darker in this room. The ice was almost opaque. The only light was streaming in from a large double door with many panes of transparent ice. It looked like glass except it refracted the light that passed through it.

I opened the doors to the small balcony. There was a delicate chair and a small side table. I sat in the chair and started weighing my options.

_I guess I can go see her._

I ran a hand through my white hair and sighed loudly.

_But she won't see you. _

I was arguing with myself now.

_Do I even want to see her?_

_Of course you do, you're in her castle._

_How do we know it's her castle?_

I went back into the bedroom. It was her castle but the thought of leaving was worse than staying. I'd missed her.

In front of me stood a circular bed with a thick blanket on top, it looked to be some sort of dark fur. Two soft looking pillows sat on top of the fur. Jutting out of the vaulted ceiling was a sort of circular canopy over the bed. Long silvery translucent sheets hung from the canopy making the bed seem even more comfortable. I didn't get under the covers I just laid down on the soft blanket and rested my head on the pillow. It smelled like her.


	11. Chapter 11

I was awoken by the sound of the front doors slamming. I got out of the bed quickly, nervously. I was sleepy, the image of her striking blue eyes still resting on the back of my eyelids. I leaned against the railing, elbows in my hands, at the top of the landing. A girl stood in the entryway with her eyes closed. She sighed then opened them. Her piercing blue eyes stopped me like they had in my dream. I couldn't move.

_Am I dreaming?_

Suddenly the bottom of her dress began to glow. Her entire outfit transformed from demure queenly attire to a tight minty blue gown. Her hair fell from its many formal braids to a single loose braid down her shoulder. Her hair was brilliantly blonde. She looked around the room her eyes passing over me. I tiptoed down the stairs, even though I knew she couldn't see me. I found myself sneaking between the pillars in the throne room, watching her. She was so grown up, so beautiful.

"It's good to be back." She sighed. I got closer and I noticed dark half-moons under her eyes. Exhaustion lingered in her posture and tone.

She glanced my way but didn't see me. I gripped my staff a little tighter. I let the anger and hurt play across my face.

_It's not like she can see it._

The man in the moon probably let me see her because he knew she'd never believe in me again. She was an adult now. I frosted one of her windows of ice and wrote her name with my finger. Her bracelet bumped against my wrist. I wanted her to believe in me again.

So I could tell her how much I hated her.

"So the snow princess made herself a castle." I said to no one in particular pacing across the room from her. I was unintentionally mirroring her. I tried to stop myself but I kept getting distracted by her movements. She was so graceful.

While I was angry. I was angry at the rules the man in the moon had invented for no purpose at all. I was angry at him for keeping me from her and I was mad at her for bringing me back. I just wanted to be left alone yet here I was.

"Who's there?" She asked nervously. She'd seen her name but she still couldn't see me. She threw and ice shard at a pillar next to my head.

_Her aim has improved_.

I allowed the wind to noiselessly take me to her other side. I threw an enchanted snowball at her head. She blocked it with a piece of ice that grew out of the ground. She threw another shard that just missed me.

"Show yourself!" She yelled.

"Man, you are tense,princess." I smirked to myself.

I made the ice beneath her feet more slippery and tilted it ever so slightly. She allowed the ice spindle she'd made to return to the floor and slid very slowly towards me. She had her back to me.

Suddenly, she turned around and threw six or seven shards at my head and torso. The wind blew me down and they soared over my head. I returned with a snowball but she destroyed it with a shard.

"Who are you?" She asked again.

"Jack Frost." I replied to her deaf ears. "But you know that. You'll always believe in me. Ha!" I laughed to myself. I was used to this sort of thing, kids grew up, but it just hurt more with her.

She spun in a circle which made her dress flare out beautifully. It sparkled like a million snowflakes. She threw ice shards in all directions. I ducked behind a pillar. I was immortal but I could still get hurt.

I must have allowed some frost to spread around my feet when I hid because next thing I knew I was in a cage of ice. She had covered the space behind the pillar in a thick ceiling made of ice and had grown ice crystals from the floor to meet her small ceiling.

_Man, she's clever_.

"Ha-ha." She said peering around the pillar but she still couldn't see me. A look of confusion crossed her elegant features. Then she began to put it all together.

"Who did you think you were fighting, beautiful?" I asked, leaning against the pillar casually.

"No… couldn't be… I need to go to bed." She left the large throne room and ascended the stairs to the bedroom.

"Oh, I'm not done with you!" I yelled at her.

I broke the bars of the cage and iced the stairs so that they became a ramp. She started to slide back but stopped herself with two foot holds. She regained her balance then dropped the footholds.

"Leave me alone!" She yelled, throwing more ice shards as she slid down the ramp. One of them cut my arm.

"No!" I yelled. She had to see me. I was furious. The small cut stung, making me even angrier. That's when I started to fight back.

I used the wind to push me towards her then I threw a hard ball of ice at her head. She blocked it with a shard from the floor then swept her arm out to form a waves of sharp icicles preventing me from advancing. I flew up above her and threw three more snow balls down at her. She threw three ice shards to block them and a fourth one which cut my cheek.

Our fight loosened the chandelier from the ceiling. I heard the crack of the ice breaking and I dove down towards her. I scooped her up into my arms then rolled out of the way. I used the wind to push us away from the shattering ice. It fell exactly where she had been standing.

I moved my hand from the back of her head and pulled away. I moved back until I was on my knees in front of her. She sat up on her side. She looked like a mermaid in her shimmering gown-minus the tail. Her mind was working hard, trying to understand. We were both breathing heavily from the fight and I could feel blood trickling down my cheek. She was staring at the shattered remains of the chandelier. Finally, she turned her head towards me.

"Who are you?" she said, seeing me for the first time in ten years.

I sighed and got up.

_She sees me. _

I thought it would be more satisfying. I flew out through the hole in the ceiling. I needed to gather my thoughts.


	12. Chapter 12

He looked familiar but I couldn't put my finger on who he was. His white hair was a shade lighter than mine. And his eyes, I closed my eyes and pictured them again. They were like looking into the pulsating sea.

_Who was that?_

_Why was he invisible? _

_How come he had powers like mine? _

I was exhausted and I was still breathing heavily. Normally a big fight didn't tire me out so much but I hadn't slept well in weeks. I cleaned up the palace, repairing the staircase, removing the pieces of the shattered chandelier. Then I headed up to bed.

At least I knew he didn't want to hurt me. He wouldn't have saved my life if he wanted to kill me.

_I wonder if he'll come back._

_Well, if he does he has some explaining to do. _

I climbed the stairs to my bedroom. The covers looks a little ruffled but I was too tired to care. I crawled under the blankets and fell asleep.


	13. Chapter 13

I awoke a second time that night. His breathing had become ragged, like he was drowning. I reached out to him and touched his bare shoulder. He wasn't too hot like most people were, but a cold sweat was forming around his neck and hairline.

"Jack," I said, the name felt right.

_So, I do know you. _

I was still sleepy as well as confused. He relaxed when I touched him and he smiled a bit when I said his name.

"What were you dreaming about?" I asked in a whisper even though we were the only ones here. I couldn't help admiring the way the moonlight looked on his bare skin. He was thin yet his shoulder muscles were defined. I couldn't see much of his chest but I imagined it would be similar. Strong practical muscles, like his arm which was thrown over his head. The gentle slope of his bicep caused my breath to catch a bit. I shut my eyes tight and forced the exhale.

"Drowning." He said as he tried to slow his own breathing. "Thank you. I hate the part where I die." I opened my eyes to see he had turned his head my way. His large blue eyes were impossible to look away from despite my desperate desire to. I wanted to roll away from him. Normally I was calm, collected but right now I felt too warm and restless. It was a strangely pleasant experience.

"Do you have that dream a lot?" I asked, suddenly I wasn't sleepy.

"Yes." He said. His breathing had returned to normal. He looked up at the ceiling. He had a cut on his cheek. "I always die."

"I have a dream like that." I said. I had no idea why I was sharing this with him. "I dream that the townspeople think I'm a witch and burn me alive." He winced. "The fire never hurts and I never die. I just frighten myself awake." I chose not to mention that nightmares like these had become all too common an occurrence.

"You remembered my name." he said as he tried to smile and yawn at the same time. I smiled, he looked so cute. He closed his eyes.

I rolled away from him, finally free from his disarming stare. I thought I'd never fall asleep with all the questions tumbling through my mind but once again his soft breath and my near narcoleptic state allowed me to drift off to sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

The next morning when I opened my eyes he was gone. This distressed me for some reason. I suddenly didn't want to be alone in my ice castle.

_The whole reason I came up here was to be alone. _

I wandered through the castle looking for him. I found myself at a balcony overlooking the valley below. You could see a hint of the fjord from this angle the rest looked inland. Currently there was a fog rolling in.

_Maybe he was a dream. _

He seemed so insubstantial, like a dream. When I saw him for the first time, after the chandelier nearly killed us, I had felt a deep trust in him but it fell away as I realized I couldn't think of his name. He was unfamiliar but his soft landing in my room last night gave me a strange sense of déjà vu.

Finally my stomach rumbled and I headed down to the kitchen. I'd had the kitchen installed later. It was not made of ice like the rest of the palace. It was below the throne room, half embedded in the mountain. Kristoff and Sven used it on their treks up the mountain so it was usually moderately well stocked.

There he was, attempting to cook what appeared to be eggs. He wasn't doing well but he was real. He had a white shirt on with buttons up the front and pants that had been torn short. He looked to be my age I assessed before he noticed me.

"Here." I said taking over. He hadn't lit a fire so the eggs were just swirling around the pan. I lit a fire in the hearth and rested the pan in the holder. "Are you… alright with fire?" I asked tentatively.

"Yes," he replied, then he laughed. He looked just as handsome as he had last night but now he seemed to have regained his energy. "I'm not a snowman." I smiled and laughed as well. I couldn't help it.

"Sorry about yesterday." I said, a little embarrassed. "Did I do that?" I said pointing to his cheek.

"Yeah." He smiled. "You've got good aim. There aren't many people who can hit me, princess." He smirked a little. I looked away quickly. That rueful half smile was too perfect. I shivered as my heart started to hammer in my chest. I hoped he couldn't hear it.

"Queen, actually." I gathered my thoughts enough to respond. He looked stunned. I flipped the eggs while he grappled with the information.

"I'm so sorry." He said. Which surprised me. This was not the usual response. "What happened?" He asked gently. I forced my emotions down to the pit of my stomach.

"When I was sixteen my parents died, there was a storm and their ship…" I stopped. That was as far as I went.

"Anna's alright though?" He followed up with.

_How does he know about Anna? _

"Yes, she's fine." I replied. He was confusing.

"What happened just before your eighth birthday?" He asked. I was really confused now. How could he have possibly known about that? No one knew about that. No, he couldn't know, maybe he's just making conversation.

I flipped the eggs and said nothing. I was trying to think of some way to change the subject.

"Do you want something?" I asked.

"I don't eat." He replied. I put my utensils down.

"Don't you think you might need to explain some things to me?" I asked sarcastically. He wasn't exactly good at making things clear. If anything talking to him just confused me more.

"Like what?" he said, feigning innocence. He laughed to himself. "Looks like the eggs are done." The next second he had the pan. He took it to a plate and put the pan back on a cool burner. "I'll try to explain but first I need to know what happened just before you turned eight." He tried to hide his pain with a smile. "Come up to your room with me. I wanted to bring you breakfast in bed." I was speechless. I let him lead me up to my room then I sat down in bed and ate. He sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Answer me first. Then I promise I'll answer all your questions." I paused, thinking. I didn't tell this story often. Actually I'd only told it once, to Anna last year.

"One night, Anna and I were in the ballroom. I made it snow and we were playing in it and…" I sighed I hated this. "I accidentally hit her. I hit her head. We took her to the trolls and they saved her life but in order to save her she had to forget all magic." I looked down. I wasn't really hungry anymore.

"Then your parents made you wear those gloves and you stopped…" It looked like he had finally figured out a big puzzle. The he just looked hurt. He absentmindedly began playing with a tiny snowflake on a string tied around his wrist.

"Did we know each other?" I asked. It was the only explanation as to how could he have known about Anna.

"Sort of." He said slowly. "It's a long story." A look of hurt crossed his features once more.

"Listen, Elsa, I'd like to try and help you remember, first. Would that be alright?" He looked so hopeful. "Just give me today -no this afternoon- and if you don't remember I'll explain everything then I'll leave." He said quickly.

"Will I remember why you don't eat?" I asked. He laughed. "No but I'll explain after you remember." He said quickly. "Please. It'll just be so much easier than explaining." He was pleading now.

"Alright." I said. What was the worst that could happen? "Hurry up and finish your eggs. I want to get started." He looked way too excited. I was already getting nervous.


	15. Chapter 15

After I cleaned up breakfast and got dressed we headed down to the throne room. I tried to wear one of my plain dresses but jack insisted I wear the one I'd worn yesterday.

"Do you have skates?" He asked when we got there.

"Yeah, I have my own but I don't have any your size." I replied.

"Good, where are they?" He asked.

"The kitchen." He was gone. Seconds later he was whisked back into the room on a gust of wind.

"Sit down." He commanded.

"I can do that myself." I said reaching for the skates.

"I'm helping you remember. Remember?" He said mischievously. I made a chair of ice and sat down. I let him tie the skates tightly. He threw his hand out turning the floor into an ice rink then he helped me up.

"I haven't done this in a while." I said nervously, I didn't want to embarrass myself.

"Perfect." He replied. Then he pulled me forward a bit. We began to skate in a circle around the throne room. He was leading me as I clutched both his hands.

"I think I can do it on my own." I said. I started to smile. I wasn't too bad at this after all.

"How did you remember my name?" He asked, letting go of my hands and turning around to skate beside me.

"Well, I woke up because you…" I was going to say 'sounded like you were drowning' but I changed my mind, "were having a nightmare and I just remembered. Maybe I was dreaming about you." I joked.

"Maybe you were. You have to let me test that too." He said. His eyes were blue, a lighter, icier blue flickered around his pupils. It was rather mesmerizing.

"Can I ask a few questions while you 'trigger' my memories?" I said, sarcastically. All we were doing was skating.

"Alright." He said. "But just till you get the hang of this. Then it's time for part two." He smirked. The slight curve of his pale lips had my heart pounding in my chest. I looked away, searching for distractions. I noticed his bare feet gliding along the ice beside me.

"Firstly, aren't your feet cold?" I asked. He laughed and grasped my hands. We spun around and came to a stop.

"Whoa." I exclaimed. He had one hand on my waist and the other lifted my chin. His fingers were cool and gentle. He was only slightly taller than me in skates. Our faces were very close together, very suddenly. I looked away. His fingers on my chin made my stomach flip.

His laughter subsided and I allowed him to lift my chin again. Not all the way to his eyes, just until I was looking at his lips. He was wearing a gentle smile and his lips looked soft and sweet. I looked away in embarrassment and found my gaze back at his eyes. I was feeling a little lightheaded. He was intoxicating.

"You really don't remember?" He searched my face for a glimmer of recognition. I guess he didn't find what he was looking for because his brows pulled together like something was cutting him.

"I'm sorry." I said. I didn't know what I was sorry for though.

"Do you mind if I take off for a couple hours? I have some things I need to attend to." He put on a cheery face but he was hurt.

"Wait, I didn't mean to- What's part two?" I asked. I wanted him to stay so badly.

"We'll do that this evening." With that he flew out the window and into the morning sun. I sat down slowly, I suddenly felt very lonely.


	16. Chapter 16

I took off my skates and tidied the throne room. As I returned the floor to its regular pattern I thought it over.

_What could I have possibly said to offend him?_

After I finished cleaning I went upstairs to read and wait. I guess this had been the plan all along. After weeks of sleepless nights in the castle I left Anna in charge and came up here for a vacation. She was a capable ruler when she was focussed on ruling and Kristoff kept her grounded when she came up with any truly ridiculous ideas.

_How did he know about what happened before my eighth birthday?_

_Jack, how did Jack know about that?_

He seemed more like a figment of my imagination than a person. I thought that maybe the stress of being queen was really getting to me but that seemed unlikely. Things hadn't been very stressful for me these days. The whole setting off an eternal winter thing was still fresh in people's minds. So there were no threats of war and since we opened up the gates trade had been booming. My advisors were handing the big decisions over to me bit by bit so I didn't feel overwhelmed.

It didn't make sense why I wouldn't be sleeping well but I had been waking up two to three times every night. Most nights I'd wake up confused in a cold sweat. The staff were whispering about me, screaming at night. Anna had actually pressured me to take this trip.

I remembered little of the dreams, occasionally I saw a man in black but he was never a central character in the dreams. He only appeared as a lone figure watching the dream unfold. And the dreams unfolded terribly.

_I'm sleeping fine now though._

I reminded myself. I curled up in one of my chairs and opened my book. I would wait for Jack.


	17. Chapter 17

He landed on the balcony as the sun was setting. I debated leaving him alone but something pulled me out there with him. I touched his shoulder. He flinched and I pulled my hand away.

"Sorry, you startled me." He said, taking my hand. His smile was soft. We watched the sun set, our fingers entwined. I didn't want to pull away, it was an odd feeling.

I turned to regard him. His features looked softer than usual in this light. The pinkish hue reflected in his eyes and his skin looked warm. He turned to me and a real smile spread across his face. It was gorgeous. It was nice to see happiness behind his smile instead of hurt.

Once the darkness had set in he led me into the bedroom. He paused seemingly debating something then he led me downstairs. My skates were against the wall where I'd left them.

"Do you have any music?" He asked. This concerned me.

"I'm a terrible dancer." I pleaded.

"Don't worry we're not dancing, we're skating." He said, smirking at me. He looked around hoping for something to make music.

"Here." I said finally. I made a piano out of ice. "You can play right?" I asked. He looked at me confused.

"Not exactly, no." He said bashfully. I instructed the keys to play themselves and a look of astonishment lit up his features. I giggled.

He smiled broadly and made an ice chair for me to sit in. He laced up my skates and pulled me up onto the ice. He took one of my hands and the other rested on my waist. This sent a shiver through my body. I placed my hand on his shoulder. It felt strong. I recalled his naked chest in the moonlight.

I closed my eyes and exhaled. I needed to focus on the task at hand.

"I thought this would be harder." I said. Jack was leading and my own feet seemed to know the song as well as the dance. I was so confused. My dress flared as we danced, my feet knew the choreography but I didn't. He dipped me low as the cheerful melody peeked.

Then he placed both hands on my waist and lifted me up. When he brought me back down our face were inches from each other and we were breathing heavily but not from exhaustion. There was colour in his normally pale cheeks.

"Are you blushing?" I teased. He smirked.

"No, I think it's just getting hot in here." He laughed. I did too, a bit more nervously.

He pulled me a little closer as we continued our dance. My breasts brushed his chest every time we turned. On any other dance floor it would be far too close but here it seemed not to be close enough.

We danced until the song ended and then through another. Suddenly, he lifted me above him by the waist and dropped me back down to rest in his arms. With my knees over one arm he took me up the stairs to my bedroom.

He froze the piano on the way up the stairs then set me down on the bed. As he carefully untied my skates his hand strayed up my calf ever so slightly.

He smirked as his hand drifted past my knee and I bit my lip. He was driving me crazy. He tossed the skates aside scuffing the floor. He stood up slowly tracing the slit in the gown I wore. When he reached the top he edged slightly inward. Then he sighed.

"Time to cool off." He said resignedly. "Get changed, its bed time." He left the room. I attempted to slow my labored breathing before undressing but it wasn't working.

I gave up and just changed into my night gown. I looked in the mirror and didn't like what I saw. The sleeves were too long and it made me look like an old lady, so I decided to make my own. I made a light, blue night dress. It came down to just above my knees but covered my creamy chest. I skipped sleeves since we'd be under the covers soon.

_Not we. _

I had made the decision to sleep by myself tonight. I'd make him another bedroom if necessary. I was a queen, I was not sleeping with random boys I'd just met.

"You can come in." He stopped in the door way. His eyes traced my soft legs, then continued up the thin fabric until our eyes met. My resolve faltered. He ran one hand down his arm and looked down as soon as our eyes met.

"You look beautiful." He mumbled before settling himself in the armchair. I blushed a little and looked down.

"May I ask some more questions now?" I begged. I needed to understand and I needed a distraction from the entirely new sensations I was feeling where his hands had touched me.

"Alright." He said, looking away from me, at least it wasn't entirely one sided. This time I got to smirk. "Question for question. You can go first." He said looking out the window.

I wanted to ask him why he got so upset earlier but I didn't want him to leave again. I grabbed a pillow and settled myself on my stomach on the bed.

"What is your full name?" This one had been bothering me for a while and it seemed like a safe question.

"Jackson Overland Frost." He said. He smirked at me. I looked away. It was hard to face him directly when he did that. At least, if I wanted to keep my wits about me. "And you are Queen Elsa of Arendelle. When did you become queen?" He asked.

"One year ago. Long story." I laughed. He didn't understand. "One day I'll explain it. I don't mean to offend you but…" I paused. There seemed to be no inoffensive way to say it. "What are you?" He leaned forward in his chair. He was deciding what to tell me. He leaned back and inhaled slowly.

"I don't really know," he said slowly, "but I have all the powers of winter. I don't need to eat and I don't really need to sleep but I can and I like to, when I don't have nightmares." He said, he slowed down and I saw he was holding back a smile. "I didn't have the nightmare again after you woke me up, which was nice." I smiled. "Why did you invite me into your bed? I mean you had just tried to kill me. That was a little weird." He looked at me expectantly. He was losing the battle to keep his charming smirk in check. Finally it broke free and he openly grinned at me.

I blushed but chose to ignore that last part. I had even more questions than before.

"Am I…" I paused trying to decide how to phrase the question I wanted to ask. "Like you?"

"No, your powers are different, you're still human. Now, that answer was free but you can't ask any more questions until you answer mine. Why did you invite me into bed?" He looked at me. I liked getting my questions answered but I didn't want to have to answer that one.

"I was tired and you looked tired. I don't know" I said quickly, I was embarrassed now. "Why did you come here?" I asked.

"I was curious. I'm rather fond of ice you know." We both laughed. These were the sort of jokes I'd laughed at alone all my life. It felt nice to laugh with someone who thought these sort of puns were funny. "Why did you try to kill me?" He asked me. He was really going for the hard questions.

"I don't know. Why were you lurking around my castle invisible?" I countered, then I yawned.

"I wasn't lurking, I was exploring" he said defiantly then he softened. "Bed time?" He said, gently.

"No, I have way more questions." I said, trying to stifle another yawn. It didn't work.

He pulled the pillow out of my arms and placed it beside the other one. I got up and stood next to the bed. He pulled the sheets aside and waited.

I got into bed, begrudgingly. He pulled the covers up to my shoulders, ever so slightly brushing my chest. "May I sleep here tonight?" he whispered in my ear.

I blushed hard and pulled the blankets up in an attempt to cover it. Then I nodded, I couldn't help it. I really wanted him there.

_What am I doing? _

He blew out the candles that I didn't realize he'd lit. The moon was still bright and I traced the curve of his lips with my eyes. They were pale, gently parted. In the dim light his lips looked hard like stone but I suspected they were soft and sweet.

He pulled his shirt off revealing his strong shoulders. The lean practical muscle on his arms forced me to blink quickly.

His hairless chest sloped down to his narrow hips, interrupted by six small mounds. The hip bones drew attention to how low his pants sat. I blushed and turned my face into the pillow. I was sure I'd already been caught staring but I simply couldn't meet his gaze. I heard him crawl into bed next to me.

He brushed his hand over my bare shoulder. I rolled myself over until I was facing him, my eyes were still closed. I opened them one at a time, hoping he wouldn't scold me for staring. I was caught, I could see it in his eyes. He had me right where he wanted me.

"Elsa, you are absolutely captivating." He said, smiling gently. It was not what I was expecting. My eyes flicked to his lips. He was barely biting the inner edge on the left side. I don't know how suggestive that gesture was supposed to be but it had an overwhelming effect on me.

"Thank you." I stuttered. The darkness was settling in. Jack was lying on his stomach and I could just see the gentle slopes and indents of the muscles in the back of his shoulder. He probably didn't even know he had muscle there. I wanted to touch him.

I rolled onto my back. I wanted to feel his strong hands on my waist and I wanted his body over mine. I wanted to taste his mouth. My breath caught and my cheeks were flushed. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears. I closed my eyes.

_Go to sleep. He'll be gone in the morning._

When I opened my eyes again he was staring at me. He had a wide grin on his face and his eyes seemed to flicker playfully.

"You're cheeks are flushed." He whispered. "Your complexion is beautiful." His eyes jumped from my eyes to my lips. "But there's something very… stimulating, about your blush." I probably blushed a deeper shade of pink.

"Goodnight Jack." I said attempting to save myself of further embarrassment. I rolled over and pretended to yawn. I heard him roll over to and I listened to him fall asleep. I was out within minutes.


	18. Chapter 18

I woke the same way I had last night, to the sound of Jack's erratic breathing. He had rolled onto his back and I touched his shoulder to wake him. It didn't work.

I ran my hand over his chest. He stirred but he still wasn't breathing right. It was as if he couldn't draw a proper breath. My own heart rate increased in panic, something about his short quick breaths distressed me.

"Jack. Wake up." I whispered as I pulled my hand across his hard chest. He opened his eyes and once again began slowing his breathing methodically. I gave him a minute then I propped myself up on one elbow, "did you teach me to skate?"

He looked at me. A mix of surprise, confusion, and happiness crossed his handsome features. He decided to smile and he turned to face me.

"Yes." He smiled a little wider, "do you remember everything?" The blankets had settled just above his hips and his bare chest had captured my attention. The lean muscles in his stomach were easily discernable in the moonlight streaming in from the balcony doors. One arm propped up his head mirroring me and the other balanced on his hip. He snapped his fingers.

I made a small sound and looked into his eyes. He laughed.

"Do you remember everything?" He repeated, a smug smirk sitting on his face

"I don't know. I remember flying and skating and…" It was like trying to grasp a kite as the wind carried it wherever it pleased. The memories were hard to hold onto. I looked into Jacks icy blue eyes and shivered, which loosened the memory.

"The cold doesn't bother you. That's why you got upset, I had already asked that question." He was smiling really big now. Then he frowned in mock anger.

"Firstly, I didn't get upset." He argued. His brows were creased but a smile hid just behind his playful frown. "And secondly, have you ever dreamt about this before?"

"No." I replied. "I think it's because you're here." I was trying my best to remember the hazy details of the dream. "We were skating on a lake, in the mountains. I woke up because you fell through the ice."

"Yep, that's me. Drowning again." He laughed a little."Go back to sleep. Maybe you'll remember more." He reached over and pulled the covers up to my shoulders. "That was your fifth birthday. Except I didn't drown on your fifth birthday. You probably just heard me…" He paused.

"Having a spasm." I supplied. He laughed again. His smile didn't really fade.

"I was only allowed to visit on your birthday and I could only stay for an hour." He continued. He looked sad. I guess he'd wanted to stay for more than an hour. I smiled at him in the dark.

"Why?" I asked.

"It was the rule." He replied.

"Who made the rule? Why can you stay so long now?" I asked.

"I don't know." He said.

"Why can't I remember you if you were there for every birthday?" I asked.

"I wasn't there for every birthday." He looked hurt, very hurt. "After your eighth birthday. I couldn't come anymore." He rolled over. He didn't look like he wanted to talk anymore. I closed my eyes but I couldn't get the image of his strong arms out of my head.

I wanted to ask him why he hadn't come after my eighth birthday. That must've been why he asked what happened with Anna.

_Did I do something that made him stop coming? _

_If I did he should just tell me, I had some things to deal with after my eighth birthday too._

I was getting angry at him. I didn't want to go back to sleep. I didn't want to remember why he was mad at me. I wanted him to just tell me. I knew I was getting myself worked up over nothing but he was just lying here in my bed acting like I'd caused him so much pain, which I didn't.

_I don't think I did._

He attacks me in my castle then acts like we're dear old friends. After the incident with my coronation how could I just assume he was a good guy lurking around my castle? Of course I tried to kill him, why was he invisible anyways? I've had stuff to deal with too, I haven't been moping about what happened ten years ago. Whatever that was.

_Why doesn't he just tell me these things?_

I rolled to face him ready to give him a piece of my mind but he'd fallen back asleep. He was lying with his arm thrown lazily over his head. His other hand held the covers at his navel. His chest was incredibly distracting. The baby blue moonlight revealed tiny flakes of ice almost embedded in his skin. I hadn't noticed them earlier.

Blush could be found crawling across my cheeks as I realized I was admiring an unconscious boy. An attractive boy who I had invited into my bed. I laid back down on my back. I'd deal with him in the morning. And in a couple days I'd go back to the castle and everything would go back to normal.


	19. Chapter 19

This time Jack woke me up. I opened my eyes to see his face scarcely lit by the rising sun. His brows were knit together, he looked very concerned. He was leaning over me, an arm on either side of my head. His chest was completely bare. My breath caught and I had trouble getting it going. I wanted to ask him what was wrong but I was almost entirely out of breath. I tried to normalize my breathing but it hurt my chest.

I lifted a hand to my cheek; it was wet.

"Am I crying?" I asked, I was really confused. Jack looked into my eyes and exhaled sharply, an exasperated laugh.

"Are you?" He said, trying to smile, he wasn't doing very well. "I woke up when you started screaming. What happened?" He asked. He looked relieved. I was still very confused.

"I was screaming?" I repeated incredulously.

"Yeah, and you weren't waking up." He was also trying to regulate his breathing like he had been holding his breath. My throat did hurt.

_I guess I was screaming._

"I was dreaming about a toy horse." I said trying to grasp my own waning memories. I shut my eyes tight.

"That was your third birthday," He said. "When I realized you were like me." He paused waiting for me to get to the screaming part.

"Then a man in black took it." I was still slowing my breathing but I started to lose ground on that front as it came back to me. "I was in a cage. There were dark horses all around me, trying to get at me" I paused. "Just a nightmare." I reminded myself.

"What did the man in black look like?" Jack asked suspiciously.

"I didn't see his face." Jack seemed bothered by this. He looked me in the eye. I almost flinched, his eyes were nearly glowing blue in this light and it was hard to look at directly. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I've been having nightmares a lot lately." I said. "That's why I came up here. I thought maybe it was the stress but I guess not." My breathing was finally back to normal. Jack had rolled off me and closed his eyes, deep in thought. I rolled onto my side to face him. The sides of his mouth were tense like he was holding off a frown and he opened his eyes to focus on the canopy above us.

Something caught my eye over his shoulder and I sat up a little. I gasped.

"Jack, Look." I said. Icy spines radiated from the bed. I whimpered a little.

"Yeah, I noticed." He said without sitting up.

"You have to go." I said, getting out of bed. I began to pace methodically. I came up here so I wouldn't hurt anyone, my powers had been acting up in the castle but it hadn't been this bad.

_I thought I had this under control. _

Once, after a particularly terrifying nightmare, I had frozen my pillow but it hadn't been like this since my coronation. Frost spread from my feet where I stepped. As my stomach plummeted in anxiety.

"Elsa, I'm immortal." He stated flatly. He turned his head to watch me. He looked sad that I had left the bed, not sad that I'd tried to kill him, again.

"But I had it under control." I stressed, then I paused my pacing for a moment, "Wait, you're immortal?" I knit my brow together in confusion.

"Yeah." He stated sarcastically. He smirked. Even if I couldn't hurt him I couldn't go back to the castle like this. I had just proven I wasn't a monster.

"Am I immortal?" I didn't even think about it, I just blurted it out. I closed my eyes embarrassed. "Never mind, of course I'm not." I tried to laugh to cover my embarrassment.

"Yeah, that would be too good to be true." He stated sadly. "I'm going to go talk to an acquaintance of mine. I'll try to be back in a couple hours. Stay here. Don't go back to sleep." He pulled his shirt over his head and ruffled his white hair lazily. Why did he need to look so attractive right before he left? I quickly looked down.

"Try not to stare." He said with a sly grin. My cheeks went red.

"I wasn't." I retorted. At least we weren't being so serious. "Where are you going?" I asked.

"Not sure." He said, taking his staff and gliding out the window. I followed him out onto the balcony. He looked over his shoulder and I waved. He waved back and rocketed out of sight.


	20. Chapter 20

As I sat around waiting for him to return I became increasingly annoyed. He didn't answer any of my questions. He was almost a stranger to me yet we had slept in the same bed, twice. I sat on the balcony reading but I was only half reading. I kept looking up, waiting for him to return.

_How old is he?_

The question spilled into my head. I read the same sentence a few times. He's immortal. I reminded myself.

_Why? What does that mean?_

Either he lied about not knowing what he was or…

_He really doesn't know._

It was hard to think about. Maybe he can't remember anything. Maybe that's why he is so obsessed with me remembering him.

_But why did I forget him?_

I didn't have a poor memory, why is it that when I started trying to hide my powers I forgot Jack? And why was he being so mysterious.

_Where did he go?_

I looked longingly out to the mountains. I wanted him to comeback. This castle was lonely without him. I scolded myself, I had known him all of one day.

My eyes grew heavy with impatience. A couple hours had passed since Jack left and it was nearly noon. I took my book into the bedroom and sat on the bed.

_What did he mean don't go back to sleep?_

I laid down and tried to keep the book open but I ended up resting it on my stomach. Then I was resting my eyelids and sleep overtook me.


	21. Chapter 21

I landed softly on the balcony. I didn't hear Elsa in the bedroom so I leaned onto the rail reviewing everything north had told me.

_Firstly, he said it sounded like Pitch Black in Elsa's dream._

_But then he said there was no way that Pitch was active. No one believed in him. There wasn't enough fear. _

_'But if he was active…' I wanted more information. 'What would he want with Elsa?' _

_'You say her powers are similar to yours, maybe he'd want to use them.' North had speculated._

_Use them for what though…_

My thoughts were interrupted by moan that came from the bedroom. I held up my staff ready to attack. I pushed the reflective balcony doors in slowly. As my eyes adjusted I searched for the source of the sound.

I found it, Elsa was sitting up in bed. Her eyes were open but she didn't look focussed. She looked lost.

"Jack." I heard her whisper. I responded to my name but there was something off about the way she said it and she didn't look at me.

"What Elsa?" I said. She didn't respond. I sat next to her and lifted her chin gently. I wanted her to look at me. She saw me but it was like she didn't really understand what she was seeing.

_Maybe she just woke up._

I stood to walk back out to the balcony. I had some more thinking to do. She got out of bed as well. She walked towards me.

I moved towards her and placed my hands on her shoulders, stopping her advance.

"Elsa?" I asked hesitantly. She crumpled at my touch and made a soft little sound in her throat. Her palms rested on my chest and she leaned her head against my shoulder. I put my arms around her gently. It felt really nice, holding her. She squirmed a little in my embrace and before I knew it my body was responding. I felt the heat spread down from my flushed face to my thighs and everywhere between.

I tried to move her away, something didn't seem right. She wasn't responding to me at all.

_Maybe she was still asleep._

"Are you awake?" I asked. Once again I received no response.

She put one hand on my hip and began to trace small circles with her thumb while her head rested on my shoulder. I moved it away and held it gently but firmly behind her. I tried to speak but my words caught as her other hand began a similar motion but lower than the previous one.

"Elsa." I exhaled her name sharply as I took her other hand and held it behind her back. "Answer me." She stopped moving but her chest was heaving and one of her sleeves was slipping down her shoulder. I growled to myself.

_What do I do now?_

"Wake up, Elsa." I said firmly. Her face was already red but it was spreading to her chest. It was hard not to stare. I pushed her towards the bed. She pushed back with her body.

I moaned involuntarily. She had pressed against me in just the right spot. I pushed her back onto the bed.

_Why won't she wake up? _

She whimpered as I tried to move away from the bed. She moved to get back up.

"Elsa," I said threateningly. I sat on the edge of the bed and she moved behind me. Her hands started to travel down my chest forcing me to seize them again. I pushed her onto her back. She breathed my name and pressed her hips into mine, my breath came in gasps.

"Elsa." I tried to say as I forced myself to draw breath. I pinned her legs with one of mine. "No."

I let go of her hands to pull up the sleeve of her nightgown. One hand rested on my neck. Her thumb making tiny circles in the space between my collarbones. My breathing was ragged at this point. I felt far too hot. Her hand brushed the bare skin at my hip and I quivered. I took that hand away and pinned it above her head.

"Stop." The hand on my neck began to pull. Her lips were parted. I took that hand and pinned it as gently as I could above her head with the other.

"Elsa!" I tried to be firm but it came out in a pleading sort of way. I wasn't sure if I was begging her to stop or continue.

Her eyes opened. I had her pinned to the bed and was breathing heavily.

"Jack?" She said slowly, hesitantly. She looked confused. She saw me now. I got off her and backed away until my back hit the wall. I was still obviously aroused.

_What now?_

I reached the balcony door as she sat up in bed, the shoulder of her nightgown had fallen again.

_How was I supposed to explain this?_

_I couldn't._

I stepped onto the railing and took off into the night


	22. Chapter 22

I reached the pond Elsa and I had skated on so many years ago. I landed angrily on a thick tree branch. I glared at the pond, a memory playing in my mind. Five-year old Elsa, innocent Elsa, learning to skate. I missed her wobbly legs, her small hands…

_Her trust in me._

I jumped down onto the ground, slowing my descent with the wind. I paced angrily. I wanted to hit something. Pitch had something to do with this.

"Pitch!" I yelled to the cold empty night.

_Things were going so well. Now she thinks… I'm such an idiot. _

I stomped my foot on the surface of the frozen pond. I wanted to break something. I froze the entire pond solid.

_Sorry fish._

I resumed pacing, horror, embarrassment, and worst of all shame crashed over me in waves one after the other. Screwing up my insides until they hurt all the way through. I paced along the shore. I wasn't paying attention to anything but the pain swelling in my chest. At least focussing on being angry kept me from thinking about the fact that she'd never want to see me again. A rustle across the pond pulled me from my self-deprecation.

"Jack," said a voice from the shadows across the lake. He drew out my name like a long syllable he wanted to keep on his tongue. He chuckled as he strode across the ice. His long black robes poured from his figure twisting and curling like a living thing. His sharp features contrasted the soft fog that followed him. The whole clearing got darker as he moved in.

"Jack, Jack, Jack." He paused between each one savouring it. "You called?" He laughed to himself. The deep rasp was hardly a laugh but his smile grew wider so he must've been enjoying himself. Goosebumps crawled up my arms like frost grows on glass. I was never cold.

I was furious with Pitch a moment ago. I wanted to hit him, to kill him but now, I didn't want him to know that. I wanted him to leave. I wanted to just fly away from him but there was the business of him playing with Elsa's brain.

Anger flared up inside me but I quelled it with thoughts of her. She was very soothing to my troubled mind.

"Did I?" I said innocently. "I don't recall… who are you again?"

"Don't play games with me, Jack." He said harshly, then his voice resumed its silvery tone. "How are the Guardians doing?"

"They're doing very well, I was just speaking with North actually." I forced a smirk. I was cold and tired and the trees took on a sinister look in the corners of my eye. "He said you were… not active." I emphasized the 'not.' I tried to stand up straight but it felt like my shoulder were heavy.

"Always good to hear the guardians are doing well." Pitch practically spat the word 'guardians.'

I licked my lips as I thought about how to ask pitch to stop hurting Elsa. I couldn't let on that it was important though.

"Since you're here, Pitch, could I ask a favor?" I tried to sound nonchalant but it didn't come out as confident as I wanted it too.

"Oh, it would please me very much if you did." His eyes were gleaming menacingly.

"There's a human I've been," I swallowed hard and forced another smirk. My muscles felt tense and confidence was hard to muster with Pitch's gaze boring into me. "Toying with," I inhaled preparing for the delivery of my next line. "Do you think you could lay off her?"

"Which human would that be, Jack?" He said curiously but something told me he knew exactly who I was talking about and how important it was. I needed to change my tactics.

"Queen Elsa." I said, forcing my inhales and exhales. "But if it's inconvenient, it doesn't matter. There are plenty of humans."

"Elsa," he said enjoying the name. His tongue flicked out over his own lips. "Yes, I remember her. Sweet girl." His facial expression sickened me as he recalled her, like a spider recalling a juicy fly it had for lunch.

I leaned against a tree coolly, awaiting his decision.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Jack. You see, the more afraid she becomes, the more fear she inspires." He smiled to himself. "Unless you were willing to give something in return." He said.

"What would you want?" I said, trying to feign disinterest. It wasn't working, he could tell I wanted him to stop tormenting her and I could tell he really wanted to continue.

"Jack." He took a step to my left. I shifted slightly to keep him in my sight. "There are many things I _want_. The question is: what do you have to _give_?" He leered at my staff.

_This is not going well._

"Well, I can't think of anything. It's been a pleasure, Pitch." The urge to get out of there was overwhelming. I took off, bursting through the thick layer of fog. I didn't know where I was going to go but anywhere was preferable to being there.


	23. Chapter 23

I soared through the sky. The afternoon sun reflected off the ice-covered mountains. It made my eyes hurt.

_I have to tell North about Pitch._

_But first I need to explain everything to Elsa and warn her about Pitch. _

_But she probably doesn't want to see me. _

I grappled with how to handle Elsa. The wind just barely kept me aloft as I contemplated my next move. My anger had dissipated considerably since the encounter with Pitch. It had been replaced by fear, fear for Elsa's safety. I'd hardly been gone an hour. She wouldn't want to see me now but she wouldn't want to see me later either.

I didn't know how to tell her what happened. I didn't know how to explain myself. I couldn't blame Pitch entirely.

I didn't normally fly this slowly. Normally I flew as fast as I could. I liked to fly low weaving between the trees. The thrill of it got my heart pumping and provided some much needed entertainment.

I' love to be that carefree now.

I arrived far too soon considering my snail's pace. I landed gently on the balcony, and snuck towards the clear doors. I inhaled slowly and peered into her bedroom.

She wasn't there. I sighed relieved. I wanted to explain myself, I wanted to see her, but I didn't want to at the same time. My stomach felt heavy, like it was lined with lead. I eased the door open.

I sat down in the chair next to the doors, across from the bed. I needed to think.

_How do I put this?_

_Pitch was controlling you and I- _

I let out a sharp weary laugh. This wasn't going to work. I was exhausted and ashamed. Today was not going as I'd planned.

_You came on to me-_

_Yeah, sure looked like that from her point of view._

I put my face in my hands. I leaned back and shut my eyes hoping to come up with something to say to her.

My mind went black.

I blinked my eyes open. I experienced a moment of complete disorientation.

_Where am I?_

I focussed straight ahead, I was having trouble seeing.

"Nice to see you again, Jack." The voice drifted out of the dark corner next to the bed. Yellow eyes froze me in the chair. I leaned down and took hold of my staff.

"Pitch," It came out like a snarl. I was really starting to dislike this guy. I wanted him to leave Elsa alone, now, but the only way to get anywhere with pitch was sneakily. Brute force wasn't very effective. I held onto my staff tightly just in case though.

"I wasn't finished speaking with you." He moved around the bed, tendrils of black sand slithered away from him with each step. My arms crawled with gooseflesh. It infuriated me further.

"Leave here" I said, angrily, standing up. I had no intention of speaking to him. I wanted to hurt him but I restrained myself.

"I think you've misunderstood who is in the position to make demands," He laughed hoarsely, like his laugh was like smoke he had to force from his lungs. He pulled back the blanket on the bed, revealing a sleeping lump. He stroked her blonde hair back from her eyes. They were closed.

An animalistic sound tore out from my throat. I stared into his eyes, willing the fear creeping up my spine to halt. I raised my staff slightly. The black sand became a sharp point at Elsa's throat. She shifted a little but did not wake.

"Don't." I commanded. It was ineffective. He continued stroking her soft hair.

"Jack, I'd like to make a deal with you." He said coolly glancing up at me. I tore my gaze away from where his horrible grey hands had touched her, my breath caught with fear as his yellow eyes bore into me.

"What do you want?" I asked. We had come to an impasse. He'd kill her if I made a move.

"I will not harm her," he looked at her longingly. "In exchange for your-" He paused searching for a word, "cooperation."

"What do you mean?" I asked, frustrated. I didn't want him to know I was afraid. I tried to hold onto my anger but the fear was eating away at it.

"Join me." He commanded. "I'll show you such power." His eyes were alight with the prospect. "You can have the girl, you can have anything you want." He laughed maniacally.

"No." I said flatly. His brows creased angrily.

"Fine, I'll take this." My staff flew out of my hand and into his. I lunged after it but it moved too quickly. Black sand took hold of my wrists, binding them behind my back.

"Elsa!" I called hoping to wake her. I knew it was hopeless though pitch had her deep under his spell. Then the black sand wrapped around my legs just above my knees. I fell to my knees before him.

"And since I can't kill you, I'm going to take you prisoner." He laughed.

"Elsa!" I struggled against the bonds.

"Just as soon as you wake up." Pitch said staring into my eyes.


	24. Chapter 24

The edges of the scene began to fade as soon as he spoke and I returned to consciousness.

It was late afternoon, the bed was made, and Pitch stood before me. His expression was painfully smug.

"Have a good sleep, Jack?" He laughed cruelly. I tried to get out of the chair but my ankles were bound to the legs. My wrists were bound behind my back and tied to another leg from there. It felt like rope but on closer inspection it was black sand. He held my staff in his hands before me and laughed at my futile attempts to escape. "She left to the castle this morning." He said, noticing the way my eyes flitted around the room.

I focused on him now. Without my staff I felt weak, I hadn't noticed while I was asleep. I resigned to the chair although the position I was in was uncomfortable. Then I felt the sand that bound me to the chair loosen and Pitch walked towards me. I tried to stand but I was very weak. Pitch took hold of my arm roughly. His grip was like a vice.

Suddenly I felt a cool darkness pass through me, like stepping into the shade on a hot day. The last thing I saw before the bedroom dissolved was Pitch dropping the staff. It clacked against the floor and I felt as though I could almost pull it towards me, then it vanished. Well, we vanished, into the darkness of Pitch's lair.

Before his feet had even touched the ground Pitch threw me aside. I fell hard onto the cool marble floor. My right side took the brunt of the fall as my hands were still bound behind my back. I gasped when the pain crashed into my hip, it throbbed. I glared at Pitch, hating everything about him.

"Listen Jack," Pitch began, "I can't kill you and I hate house guests, so let's try and make this as painless as possible for the both of us." He smirked a little when he said painless. His intense stare and my utter helplessness had me speechless. So he continued, "Elsa-"

"What do you want with her?" I choked out through my own surprise. I tried to get onto my knees. I wouldn't be able to stand but I wasn't going to lay on the ground at his feet.

"Don't interrupt me," he snarled. The sand pulled me down to the ground again. I hit my shoulder but it wasn't too bad. I was closer to the ground this time. "I want her, Jack, for my wife." He laughed at me as I struggled to get up once more.

"For your wife?" It wasn't going in. I struggled to get back up. "Why?"

_Why would he want to marry Elsa?_

"I said," Pitch said coolly, watching my progress as I got onto my knees. "Don't interrupt me!" He threw his hand out. Black sand forced me into the stone wall. I hit the back of my head and saw stars. The sand was sticky and covered my mouth like tape. I tried to catch the breath that had flown from my lungs, through my nostrils alone but I was panicking a little.

Finally my breath caught but the sand around my wrists bound to the wall like magnetic cuffs. It pulled my arms apart and up. The cuffs began to rise, stuck against the wall, bringing me to my knees, then to my feet, then finally to the point where my toes just touched the ground. Pitch and I were eye level now. My shoulder screamed in protest and my aches seemed amplified by the fact that I was missing my staff. I whimpered in my throat unconsciously and regretted it instantly.

Pitch's laughter pierced the silence. The darkness crept around me making my skin crawl, and he approached me, emboldened by my helplessness.

"As I was saying," he said as his laughter died down. My white shirt was blackened by soot. MY chest heaved with the effort of catching my breath and minimizing the pain in my wrists. I was furious but I was weak. Without my staff I was nearly mortal. "I want Elsa for my wife."

I winced at his words. Then made a sound of protest in my throat. His words were more frightening than this lair. The idea hurt more that the bruises that were developing beneath my pale skin.

_Elsa will never marry him. _

_Willingly…_

"I think I can make a fairly persuasive argument. Don't you?" He laughed at his own joke. The black sand swirled and twisted, like it was laughing with him. I mumbled my protest through the gag but it just made him laugh harder.

"Tell me, Jack, what would she trade for your freedom?" He smirked and walked through a door. He locked it behind him.


	25. Chapter 25

I sat back down on the bed.

_Why did he just fly off? _

It had all felt like a dream until the moment Jack took off from the balcony. I had gone out there to look for him but he flew away fast. I was terribly confused.

As I turned to return to the bedroom I caught my reflection in the glass. My cheeks were bright pink. I put my hand to them, they were very warm. I vaguely remembered a dream about Jack but I couldn't grasp what it was about.

_Maybe Jack was sick of waiting for me to remember. _

The thought saddened me. I went back inside and sat on the edge of the bed. I'd only known him two days but it felt like I'd known him all my life. I didn't remember everything from when I was little but being around him brought a familiar sense of comfort, like being home. I wanted him to come back. Both to explain why he left and to explain every other weird thing he'd done over the past two days.

My thoughts were interrupted by a knock. It echoed through the castle, startling me. I looked t my reflection once more. I transformed my gown into one more elegant and presentable then I went downstairs.

One of the messengers was at the door, he was terribly flustered. I opened the door and he peered about nervously. Then it dawned on him and he sank to one knee.

"You majesty," he said grandly. I was still not quite used to this sort of greeting.

"Yes?" I said. My sister usually let me come back in my own time. I didn't want to return to Arendelle. I had a lot of thinking to do.

"You must come back. It's an emergency."


	26. Chapter 26

When we had first arrived in Pitch's lair I hadn't seen any walls. Just darkness surrounding the place where we stood which was illuminated like a spotlight was fixed upon us. Now, all I saw were walls. The door had disappeared after I heard the lock click. The room was tiny, like a closet.

The sand that held my wrists above my head, stretching my bruised shoulder, loosened. They slowly drifted down the wall until I was sitting, then I found I could pull them off the wall. They sand was ready to retract at any moment but I leaned my face into my folded arms anyways. I couldn't see any light source but shadows flickered in the corners of my vision.

_What do I do now?_

There were no windows or doors. I couldn't get a message out to the guardians. I was trapped, and I had walked right into it. I cursed myself for wandering into so simple a trap. How could I have fallen asleep? How could I let him catch me so easily?

_How could I let him take Elsa?_

His plan was perfect. She'd accept his offer and in return he'd let me go.

_Maybe Elsa won't want to save me after what happened…_

It was supposed to be funny, I tried to laugh but I couldn't. It just hurt. Although I'd rather remain here than let him marry Elsa. My mind wandered, I wanted to see Elsa again so badly. If I never saw her again…

_I want to see her everyday._

I closed my eyes, an image of Pitch forcing his thin grey lips onto her soft pink ones played across my eyelids. My sadness was replaced with irrational anger. I tried to open my eyes, to dispel the image but I couldn't move. My breath came in short pained gasps.

The way she melted into it, running her fingers through his thick, black hair. The way his hands curled around her waist like a snake curls around its victims' throat. I wanted to shake it away, I would have done anything to make it stop. They sunk deeper into the kiss and her cheeks began to flush. My heart ached and broke at the same time. It was excruciatingly painful.

_Pitch is doing this. It's not real. Wake up._

It was no use. I couldn't tell the difference between nightmares and reality here.


	27. Chapter 27

I shook the snow off my boots as I stepped into the grand entry way of the castle. I was home. Servants rushed to take my cloak. It was highly unnecessary but it made me look distinctly normal so I had waited out the stifling heat.

"Your majesty," they said as they bowed at my feet. I nodded politely. The messenger had run off to announce my return, he hadn't even told me what this emergency was. I waited for someone to tell me what all the fuss was about but no one stepped forward to do so. As soon as I had decided to ask Anna appeared through the doorway.

"Oh Elsa" She cried, she was running full speed towards me her socks giving her very little traction. She had a very large smile on her face. I smiled as well, she was like a puppy. She stopped abruptly before me her hands clasped in front of her. She tucked a loose hair behind her ear. "H-hello." She stuttered. We were much closer now but she still seemed a bit intimidated by me. Kristoff rounded the corner behind her, he approached cautiously.

"What's this emergency?" I said, concernedly. Anna turned, waiting for Kristoff, when he approached he wound his arm around her waist. She looked at him expectantly.

"Kristoff proposed, we're engaged." She exclaimed. She hugged me, forcing Kristoff to drop his hand. Then she backed away looking as cautious as Kristoff. "We wanted to ask…" she paused.

"For your blessing." Kristoff finished, mustering all his courage for the occasion.

"Of course you have my blessing." I said, genuinely pleased. They had been very much in love for the past year and I trusted Kristoff. I reached for Anna's hand but she pulled me into a big hug instead. Even Kristoff joined in. I laughed. That level of affection made me a little uncomfortable but I accepted it graciously.

"Thank you! Thank you, thank you. We're so glad you didn't set off an eternal winter." Anna exclaimed then clasped her hands over her mouth. "Woops, we weren't going to mention that."

"It's alright." I said, wincing internally at the memory. That was when I built my ice palace, glad I hadn't needed it permanently. "I'm very happy for you both." I couldn't help but think of Jack.

_Would I say yes if he had proposed?_

I knew the answer but I couldn't admit it to myself. The hypocritical answer would probably condemn me to the same fate that Anna had faced when she agreed to Hans' proposal.

I shook Jack out of my mind. I had just met him. Kristoff and Anna were still thanking me and hugging each other and talking about wedding plans. I shook my head and went to find my advisors to see what had happened in the kingdom since my departure. Silently hoping Jack was waiting in my room when I got there tonight.


	28. Chapter 28

I woke and tried to get comfortable on my bruised hip. I had made it through the nightmares Pitch had set upon me. I ended up lying on my back with my hands behind my head. I tried not to blink the nightmares seemed to reside on the underside of my eyelids.

_You have to get out of here. Keep Elsa from marrying Pitch._

I had repeated this to myself over and over through my waking moments. Sadly these were few and far between. Even when I was awake I was haunted by the scenes Pitch showed me.

_But what can I do?_

My powers were weak at best without my staff and were weakened further by Pitches sand. Something shifted in the corner of my eye. I purposefully avoided looking at it despite my curiosity. I needed to focus. I ran my fingers through my hair unconsciously. Maybe I did this when I was stressed. My body ached, I was healing much slower than usual, taking on a near mortal pace.

I sat up to examine the wounds. My bruises were a deep blackish purple. It looked like summer storm clouds had settled beneath my pale skin. I pushed on the one on my hip and winced.

_What are you doing? This isn't helping._

They did actually help me discern whether I was dreaming or not. When they didn't appear or when they didn't hurt I wasn't conscious. Knowing I was dreaming didn't help much though.

I laid back down. My restless sleep exhausted me more than it rejuvenated me. It slowed my healing and weakened me further. I could feel it. It was driving me crazy, I needed to get stronger, to get out of here.

I closed my eyes momentarily forgetting the consequences.

A door appeared across from me. Pitch sauntered in and I quickly sat up against the wall. The sand tightened and pulled my arms above my head. It didn't hurt.

_Wake up._

It was a feeble command at best, I forgot it when he beckoned to someone with his finger.

"Come, my love," He cooed, from the pitch blackness behind him emerged a pale figure. Her hands and face shone against the long black dress that clung to her slim figure. Her lips were a soft pink and her hair shone a silvery blonde. She looks soft yet terribly sexy. I couldn't take my eyes off her.

"Yes," She said simply turning towards Pitch, yet keeping her eyes on me. The colour of them seemed off. I tried to remember what colour they should be but I couldn't. She had shifted her weight, in dropping one hip she had drawn my gaze away from her eyes.

Pitch turned towards her now. His hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her into him. When she turned I saw the back of her dress was almost entirely cut out and Pitch's fingers had slipped beneath the fabric near her right hip. Seeing her bare back roused me, my stomach squirmed. I struggled against my bonds and turned away. I didn't want to see anymore.

Suddenly the sand turned my head for me and I saw Pitch press his mouth into hers. She moaned softly and her hands were on his chest, she began to pull at his robes. His hand started at her waist but it wandered upwards brushing her breast. She gasped and Pitch pulled back, chuckling.

"Not here," His words ignited the emotion I had been silently harbouring. I couldn't hold the pain and jealousy in any longer.

"Elsa," I pleaded. "Please," I wanted her to stop. I needed her to look at me the way she looked at him. She turned towards me when she heard her name. She glared down at me and laughed, a high-pitched laugh, not at all like the one I remembered.

I awoke on my back in the windowless room. I touched my cheeks, they were cold and wet, with tears. I stared at the ceiling blankly, willing myself not to blink. My chest ached, I knew it was only a dream but I couldn't handle many more of these.


	29. Chapter 29

My advisors could probably drone on about trade agreements for days if I let them. They opened with the major stuff, which I paid attention to, but they lost me when they drifted into the territory of tedious speculation. My mind wandered to my time spent in the mountains.

I felt almost homesick without him around. I had no way of contacting him and deep down I feared that maybe he didn't even exist.

_How likely is it that there just happened to be a boy out there with powers like mine,_

_And that he just happened to find me,_

_And that that he just happened to be good-looking?_

It was extremely unlikely. I had been toying with the idea of telling Anna but I knew it would sound insane to her. Especially the part where I didn't know him at all, but I felt like I knew him. I had recalled fractured memories of playing with him when I was young and had experienced déjà vu when the light caught on his hair in a certain way.

It also happened when we were skating, when I looked down at his feet. I felt my cheeks warm at the thought of his hands on my waist. The scene in my mind unfolded, his hand moved to my lower back and the other drifted up to my neck so he could feel my throbbing pulse. He smirked and I closed my eyes as he tilted my chin upwards.

I looked up and found my advisors staring at me. I cleared my throat.

"Pardon? I must've misheard you." I said, attempting to cover for my inattentiveness. I tucked a loose hair behind my ear and sat up a little straighter.

"Did you have anything to add before this meeting adjourns, your highness?" Petri repeated.

"No," I said, "but I would like to thank you all for all the hard work you put in." They clapped and the meeting ended. I headed off to my bedroom as soon as I could, hoping to avoid Anna and her crazy wedding plans. I stopped by the kitchen for some tea and made it to my bedroom without running into her.

I was disappointed to find myself alone. Where had Jack gone? I began to absentmindedly clean despite the room being cleaned before my arrival. When there was no more to clean I tried reading but nothing sunk in, I couldn't help it, I was waiting for him.

I pulled my hair out of its tight bun and flopped down onto my bed. Despite years of being told not to play with my powers I found myself tossing a snowball up into the air and catching it again. Waiting meant thinking and thinking meant worrying, why hadn't he shown up? Was it all just a hallucination?

I missed the snowball and it fell to the floor. I left it there and closed my eyes. My mind grew empty.

What felt like a very short time later I was startled awake by a rather loud clack. Something had tapped my window. I smiled to myself and got up to let whoever it was in. It was pitch black outside, I must've slept longer than I thought. I pulled the latticed glass inwards and a tall figure stepped through.

It most certainly wasn't jack. He was taller and his features were sharper, like a bird of prey. His skin looked grey in the soft light and he was dressed quite formally, wearing a black vest over a grey dress shirt. He looked quite handsome with his dark hair pushed casually back but there was something unsettling about his yellow eyes. It was like he was appraising livestock, searching for weaknesses.

He took my hand and kissed it gently, barely brushing the skin. There was no tingle where his lips had been but I did feel a chill creeping up my spine. I had never been cold in my life. There was something off about him.

"Hello Elsa," He savoured the words, it was like he had been waiting for this very moment a long time. I watched him closely, there were no outwards signs he was dangerous but I felt the need to be cautious anyways. I heard music drifting in from the window.

"Who are you?" I asked, finding my voice. The music grew a little louder and my walls faded. The light seemed to be coming from the floor. I was confused but not panicky. "Where are we?"

"May I have this dance?" He said, his long fingers reaching for my waist.

I didn't want to dance with him but it seemed rude not to so I reluctantly took his hand. My skin prickled where his hand rested on my waist and my blood seemed to run cold from the point of contact until I was poised on the precipice of fright.

I didn't need to think about where to put my feet, so I focussed on keeping my hands from shaking instead. The corner of his mouth pulled up into a half smile. He bore no resemblance to Jack when he smirked. The intensity of his stare made him look more like a panther preparing to pounce.

"What is your name?" I asked. I hoped that speaking would calm me, or at least distract me from the fear that crept into my mind. His voice did nothing to put me at ease.

"My name is Pitch Black." He said, as he pulled me around and dipped me down. He smelled of earth with a metallic undertone. It was not unpleasant but it quickened my pulse. Everything about this man, Pitch, made me uncomfortable.

He smiled, as if he could hear my heart pounding and it was music to his ears. His name sounded familiar but I couldn't place where I had heard it.

_Jack mentioned it. Why did he mention it though?_

"Why are you here?" I asked. The song had not reached its crescendo, it seemed to be dragging its feet. I imagined Jack stepping in, stealing the dance from this Pitch fellow. I ached for him to take me away from here. I felt so vulnerable.

"I wanted to speak to you." He replied and he swept me off my feet into a lift, then set me down closer to him than I was before. I took a small step back. I wanted to stop dancing.

"About what?" I asked, maybe he'd leave soon. I wanted to find Jack. I'd figure out how to contact him, go wait for him in the ice castle.

"Enough about Jack," he stated coldly. I was pretty sure I hadn't said that out loud but I wasn't sure anymore. "Let's talk about you." I glanced up, intending to ask him what he meant and found myself caught in his stare. His yellow eyes held me and my heart thumped loudly in my ears. The music faded and we were stopped. Both his hands were at my waist, my skin crawled. His head tilted slightly, like he was regarding an interesting painting. "You're beautiful, Elsa, and I want you." My hands were resting on his chest, the fabric was cool and silky.

My hand shook, I was terrified. I wanted to pull away but I was frozen to the spot. My breath came in short gasps. I wanted to push against his chest but I couldn't. I heard a soft tap. Pitch took a half a step closer. I could feel the cold emanating from him. I heard someone calling my name.

It was Anna. Pitch began to fade, his face contorted with rage. I opened my eyes. Light was streaming in. It was mid-afternoon. Anna was knocking at the door.

Cold sweat made my hair cling to the back of my neck. I pulled open the door, still trying to catch my breath. I was so relieved to see Anna, relieved to escape Pitch.


	30. Chapter 30

"Ho-ly, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed, you look terrible." Anna exclaimed when I opened the door.

"Anna," I gasped, I tried to brush my hair with my fingers. I felt sweat on my forehead. "I had a nightmare." Anna made a sympathetic sound.

"Want me to grab you a tea?" She asked gently.

"Yes, uh, something strong." I replied hastily.

"But that'll keep you up," she said, her eyebrows pulled together in confusion.

"Yes, I'm not really tired." I smoothed my dress. "Shall we talk about wedding plans?"

"Actually… Kristoff and I were going to…" She paused and cast her eyes downward, "celebrate the engagement." She blushed. I think I did as well. I didn't know what to say.

_My little sister is 'celebrating' before me._

"I'll grab my own tea. You go on then." I said trying to hide my surprise.

_I shouldn't be surprised, they've been together a whole year. _

She smiled and walked past, keeping her eyes down. I turned down the hall back towards the kitchens.

_They love each other very much, it only makes sense._

I hadn't even been kissed. It felt so intimate in the mountains with… my mind went blank. I could see his face in my mind's eye but I couldn't find his name. I stopped walking and willed myself to remember him but it wouldn't come. I could picture him leaning casually against the railing on the balcony, what was his name?

_Where am I going? _

I thought I was going crazy. II turned around and headed back to my room. I was starting to panic. I could remember skating with him, and waking in the night because of his erratic breathing.

I focussed on his face, his crooked smile and playful blue eyes. I didn't want to forget anymore. I needed to see him again.

I needed to go back to the ice palace.


End file.
